Elevating brackets



May 6, 1958 Filed June 27, 1956 A. c. BORGMAN ETAL ELEVATING BRACKETS 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTORS an, BYC WW 16/101 ATTORNEY May 6, 1958 A. c. BORGMAN ETAL ELEVATING BRACKETS 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed June 2'7, 1956 INVENTORSI rffizzr C. fiorgmanmr 0226; II 170!!! an flunk-ATTORNEY United States Paten ELEVATlNG BRACKETS Arthur C. Bergman and Eugene V.'Holahan, Franklin Square, N. Y., assignors to The Patent Scaffolding Co., gnc k Long Island City,-N. Y., a corporation of New Application June 27, 1956, Serial No. 594,182

3 Claims. (Cl. 304-29) This invention relates to sectional scaffolds, and more particularly to improved elevating brackets attachable to and guided by such scaffolds, which are capable of supporting one or more platforms at various levels.

Sectional scaffolds with movable brackets holding a pair of platforms at different levels are known. The structures now in use are equipped with hand-operated winches enabling the construction workers to raise or lower the platforms by moving the brackets along the uprights of the sectional scaffold. The lower platform supports the worker, while the upper platform, usually at the waist level of a person standing on the lower platform, serves for storage of construction materials that are thus within easy reach of the worker. I

.The actual problem arises when the brackets are attached tothe sectional scaffold. It is necessary to provide a system that will hold the brackets securely against the uprights and at the same time allow their travel in vertical direction, when necessary, to move the platforms folding sections each include a multiplicity of horizontal,

diagonal and inclined braces connecting the spaced up-- rights to lend necessary stability and rigidity to the structure, and a traveling platform bracket must bypass such braces without even temporarily impeding the safety of the worker. Certain locking and bypassing devices now in use, such as the so-called star wheels, spring loaded safety latches and others yield when encountering an obstruction and thus at least temporarily reduce the safety of the traveling bracket.

Accordingly, the principal object of the invention is to increase the safety of elevating brackets by mounting the same in a manner to be in permanent engagement with the scaffold.

Another object of the invention is to provide elevating brackets which may be attached to the scafiold without changes in its construction.

A further object of the. invention is to provide elevating brackets which may beused with equal safety and efiiciency on ditferenttypes of scatfolds.

A yet further object of the invention is to reduce the friction between the traveling bracket and the stationary elements of the scaffold.

According to the invention, the vertical movement of the elevating bracket is controlled by an upright and a vertical guide rod that is attached to the lateral sides of a sectional scaffold. The advantage of this system is,

that the bracket is actually permanently guided by two spaced vertical members and requires no yieldable locking members that must bypass the obstructions represented by braces and brace studs extending or projecting from the uprights. The brackets slide on three sheaves which engage the uprights and the guide rods from opposing sides.

Various other objects, features and advantages of the novel construction will become apparent in the course of the following detailed description of the preferred embodiment which is illustrated in the accompanying draw- 2,833,596 Patented May 6, 1958 ing, and the invention will be finally pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawing:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a sectional scaffold with two elevating brackets constructed and mounted in accordance with our invention;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged side elevational view of the lefthand bracket in Fig. 1, showing the platforms in section;

Fig. 3 is a top plan view of a portion of the upper and lower platform with the supporting bracket of Fig. therebetween; and

Fig. 4 is a partialsection taken on line 4-4 in Fig. 2, as viewed in the direction of arrows.

Referring now in detail to. the drawing, and first to Fig. l, the sectional scaffold 10 consists of superposed sections 15a15e, the lowermost section 15a resting on four base members 1114. Section 15c, for example,

consists of four uprights 16c19c; horizontal braces 20c, 20c and 21c, 21c connecting the uprights 16c, 17c and 18c, 190, respectively; a pair of diagonal braces 22c, 22c between the uprights 17c, 18c; two pairs of inclined braces 23c, 23c and 240, 240 between the uprights 16c, 17c and lower horizontal 200' on the one hand, and between the uprights 18c, 19c and the lower horizontal 21c on the other hand; and a number ofshort horizontal. braces, generally indicated by numerals 250,

between the inclined members 23, 24 and the adjacent It will be seen that there are no braces between the uprights 16 land 19, as such braces would uprights.

obstruct the movement of the upper platform 31. The remaining sections 15a, 15b, 15d and 152 are of similar construction and similar numerals accompanied by letters a, b, d, e, respectively, indicate similar elements;

Only such elements are numbered in the'remaining sections which are referred to as the descriptherein.

tion proceeds.

The lateral pairs of base members 11, 12 and 13, 14'

are connected by horizontals 26, 26', and the lowermost:

section 15a includes an additional pair of reinforcing:

diagonal braces 28a, 2811' which connect the opposing. uprights in a horizontal plane.

The upper storage platform 31 and the lower masons:

platform 32 are supported by a pair of brackets 30A, 30B that are slidable along the respective uprights 16a-16e and 19a-19e, and also along special guide hoist arrn (not shown) that extends from the upper end of-the uppermost section 152 and carries a pulley and a hoisting cable, as is well known in the art. The platform 35 may be erected between horizontals 26, 26 or any alignedpair of horizontals 20b-20e and 21b--21e, as the need may be.. Brackets 30A, 30B support hand Winches 36A, 36B suspended from cables 37A, 37B

whose ends are anchored in the frames 38A, 38B and in the cable drums of said winches and are guided over a pair of sheaves 39A, 39B supported in suitable brackets attached to the uprights 16c, 19c. Thus, the platforms 31, 32 may be lifted upwardly until the frame 38A is directly below the sheave 39A. v V I It will be-noted in Fig. 1 that the guide rods 34b are attached to horizontals 21 inside the scaffold sections 15a-15e so that the brackets 30A and 30B may be of uniform construction.

The construction and mode of attachment of the elevating bracket 30A is shown in detail in Figs. 2 to 4,

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Elevating bracket 30A consists .of two parallel curved tubular members 40A, 40A, two verticalItubes 41A, 41A and a pair of horizontal tubes 42A, 42A. The planks, of; the lower: platform 32 are supported on; the horizontal-portions .of members 40A, 40A between the vertical tubes 41A, 41A anda plank stop 43A. "The upper platform 31 is interrupted between the horizontals 42A,, 42A to permit the passage of horizontal braces b, 20b, and b and of the inclined brace 23b when the bracket A travels along the upright16b and the guide member 33b. The'ends of planks forming the upper; platform 3l;.a:re supported by the horizontal tubes 42A, 42A and are of such length as to fit into the stop members 44Athat are welded to the tubes 42A, 42A.

The guide member 33b is connected to the horizontal brace20b by a bracket member 45A.

A square vertical post 46A is rigidly held between the vertical tubes 41A, 41A by two pairs of upper and lower horizontal braces 47A, 47A. tachedto the upper end of the post 46A, as may be observed in Fig. 1. Post 46A also carries a. pair of brackets 48A, 48A rotatably supporting sheaves 49A, 49A which slide along the unobstructed peripheral surface of the upright 16b. A third sheave 51A is rotatably supported in a bracket 50A attached to themember 40A approximately midway between the sheaves 49A, 49A'..

The bracket 30A is free to slide along the stationary members 16b and 33b and is prevented from tilting by the. three spaced sheaves 49A, 49A and 51A. The specific construction of the bracket provides for a slot between the pairs. of tubes 40A, 40A and 42A, 42A for reception of the upright 16b and of the braces 20b, 20b, 25b. and 23b. The continuous lower platform 32, and the upper platform 31v 'which is interrupted between the plank .stops44A are spaced vertically a distance equaling the-length of tubes 41A, 41A, which is. so selected as. to best suitthej needs of a worker standing on the lower platform. The weight of the construction materials on the upper platform 31 tends to counterbalance the weight of the lower platform 32 so that the vertical guide 33 is not subjected to excessive forces.

When the worker desires to move the platforms 31, 32, between the brackets: 30A, 30B, the hand winches 36A, 3613 are actuated, in a direction to either lift or lowepthe platforms. The winches are provided with lockingdevices and brakes, all well known in the art and therefore .not shown in the drawing. The locking mechanistn forming part of the winches positively prevents movement of the brackets when such movement is not desired.

The triangularly disposed sheaves 49A, 49A and 51A positively, prevent tilting ofthe platform bracket 30A,

The winch 36A is atuprights and reinforcing braces between the first and second, second and third, and third and fourth of said uprights, the combination of said first and said fourth uprights with a pair of vertical guide rods attached to said braces between said first and said second uprights and between said third and said fourth uprights, respectively; a pair of elevating brackets each 'having a pair of upper horizontals, lower horizontals and connecting while their movement along the opposing sides of the upright. and the guide member is practically without friction. The sheaves are at all times in contact with the upright and the guide, and the brackets with the members 33, 34 may be conveniently. mounted on any type of sectional scaffolding. j

As various changesaand .modifications in constructional details of the novel assembly will readily occur to persons skilled in the. art, we do not desire .to be.

limited to the exact details of the arrangement shown and described, the scope of the invention being defined by the appended claims.

We claim:

1. In a scaffold consisting, of a base and superposed rectangular sections, said sections each comprising four means between said horizontals, said upper horizontals of said brackets extending from said first and saidfourth uprights toward'said second and saidthird uprights, respectively, with said first uprights between the upper horizontals of, one bracket and said fourth uprights between the upper horizontals of the other bracket, and said lower horizontals extending in substantial parallelism with said upper horizontals in the opposing direction away from said first and said fourth uprights, resepctively, each of said elevating brackets further comprising a pair of vertically alignedsheaves fixed to said connecting means adjacent to said upper and lower horizontals, respectively, of each of said brackets and rotatable along the peripheral portion of said first and said fourth uprights facing away from said second and said third uprights, respectively, :a third sheave supported by at least one of said horizontals of each of said brackets and slidable alongthe peripheral portion of the adjacent one .of said guide rods facing away from said first and said fourth uprights, respectively, with said thirdsheave of each of said brackets located at a level between the levels of said'vertically aligned sheaves; a winch attached to each of said brackets formovingthe same along said first and said fourth uprights and said guide rods; an 'upper horizontal platform between the upper horizontals of said brackets within saidscaffold; and a lower horizontal platform supported by said lower horizontals of. said brackets externally of said scaffold.

. 2.The structure of claim 1, wherein one of said guide rods is attached to said braces between said first and said sccond-uprightsoutwardly of said scaffold, and the other of said guide rods is attached to said braces between said third and said fourth uprights inwardly of said scaffold.

3. An elevating bracket adapted to support with a likeness thereof a pair of platforms in a sectional scaffold at different levels, said bracket comprising in combination, a vertical connecting member; a pair of parallel spaced upper platform' supporting horizontals each having an extremity spaced from the upper end and at one side of said connecting member; at least one lower References Cited inthefile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,550,364 Johnston Aug. 18, 1925 2,569,653 Bodecker Q. Oct. 2, 1 951 2,762,659 Harlan Sept. Il, 1956 FOREIGN PATENTS 887,106 Germany July 9, 1953 

